


Burns and Scars

by mariadperiad20



Series: ATLA Adventures [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angry Katara (Avatar), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Gaang (Avatar), Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Trauma, Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:00:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24817996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariadperiad20/pseuds/mariadperiad20
Summary: Zuko understands why Katara doesn't trust him. What he doesn't understand is why Sokka vouches for him - a little too enthusiastically, if Katara's expression has anything to say about it. Or why they don't all hate him for how he got his scar.aka: chase sequence by unknown soldier battalion #3, followed by angst and comfort.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: ATLA Adventures [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795180
Comments: 50
Kudos: 1308
Collections: A:tla





	Burns and Scars

Aang was friendly. Way too friendly. He liked to believe the best in people, no matter what, constantly. Most of the time, he somehow managed to make it work - a fact that never ceased to astound Zuko - and convince enemies to lay down their weapons and all of that. But sometimes… well, sometimes it _didn’t_ work.

Which was why Aang was currently latched onto Zuko’s back like a koalamonkey, his arms wrapped around Zuko’s neck loosely, one leg latched about his waist, the other dangling uselessly at an odd angle. Zuko could hear him grinding his teeth - clearly in an effort not to cry out each time the limb was jolted by the bounce of his running.

Zuko would have muttered an apology, save that he was currently trying to save the little breath he had to keep running - he was in the lead, trying to get Aang back to camp as fast as possible, while Toph lifted the earth behind them to buy time, forcing the Fire Nation soldiers to blast their way through or climb over. The ones that tried to run around the edges of it were getting bashed by Sokka, who had a couple of stray burns on his arms from wayward blasts.

Normally, Zuko would be right there with them, but Aang couldn’t walk for anything - and, given the dazed look in his eyes, it seemed like that hit to the head, courtesy of a blast into a wall, had taken him out of it for a bit bending-wise. Still, Zuko was able to use fireblasts to clear a path to the campsite, discretion no longer a priority. Katara was back there, along with Appa and Momo - they’d only landed in enemy territory because Appa had been hit with a nasty bit of coal launching courtesy of some soldiers, and he’d needed to get healed up. Hopefully, she still had enough energy to patch up Aang, too.

Huh. Since when did he consider Fire Nation to be enemy territory?

Zuko elected not to think about that, bursting his way into the clearing where Katara was repacking some supplies.

She glanced up, eyes widening at the sight.

“Get on Appa!” Zuko shouted, breaking into a dead sprint. Now that they were in the open, the chances of stray fire were a lot higher. Sure enough, flames whizzed over his head, and Zuko spun around, providing a barrier between Aang and the incoming bursts. He aimed a few blasts at the Fire Nation soldiers, wishing he had the ability to attack and defend, as he normally could, rather than just attack and hope for the best.

Sure enough, a blast of fire caught him in the chest, sending him stumbling back.

He felt Aang’s arms come off from his neck, and he whirled around, hands full of fire, ready to blast whatever soldier just came at him. Katara stared back at him, Aang leaning heavily against her shoulder, eyes still glazed.

“His leg.” Zuko said unnecessarily, before aiming a blast of fire at a soldier who was about to impale Sokka, causing them to dive out of the way.

Appa was on his feet, and Zuko grabbed the back of Sokka’s shirt, hauling him up onto the bison. Toph forced a blast of earth upwards, launching her up and onto Appa.

Then, it was just Zuko on the ground. He took a deep breath, garnering the last of his strength, and sent a wave of fire washing over the entire clearing. Then, he hauled himself up and onto Appa, as Katara shouted, “Yip yip!”

Appa launched into the sky, Toph clinging on for dear life, and Sokka holding onto Aang to keep him from falling off. Zuko tried to block the few flames that headed their way, although his energy was so low that there were too many close calls, forcing Katara to swerve to avoid the wayward blasts. Once they were out of range, Zuko slumped, bonelessly, against the saddle.

He closed his eyes shakily, before his eyes snapped open an instant later, and he launched himself up. “Katara, Aang’s hurt!”

“Yeah, I noticed.” She replied coldly, “Sokka, take over Appa for me.”

Sokka flashed Zuko a glance, as if to apologize for Katara’s rudeness - not that Zuko blamed her, he had been their enemy, not to mention Aang was injured - before switching places with Katara.

Zuko sat quietly, watching as Katara checked over Aang’s injuries.

“How bad is it?” He asked her, once she sat back.

Katara grimaced, pulling out some water. “It’s not broken, just dislocated. I can heal both of them up no problem - just…” She hesitated, “I need to put his foot back in the right spot.”

She looked uncomfortable at the thought.

“I can do it, if you’d prefer.” Zuko offered, seeing her reluctance. He wasn’t exactly keen on the idea - he’d had his shoulder dislocated a couple of times, and it was never a pleasant experience putting it back. But, it wasn’t like Katara wanted to do it - she was both a warrior and a healer, but it was clear she didn’t like mixing the two lines.

Especially when it came to Aang.

Katara looked relieved at his offer, allowing her normal look of distaste to vanish. “If you would.”

Zuko sat forward, checking the dislocated ankle carefully. Then, with a muttered apology to Aang, snapped it back into place.

Aang screamed, and a blast of air nearly sent Zuko off the edge of Appa, before Katara caught him by the front of his ruined shirt.

“Thanks.” She said sourly, before pulling out her water and placing her hands over it. Zuko sat back, clasping his hands together to avoid anyone noticing them shaking. Even if Sokka was busy flying, Toph was blind, and Katara was single-mindedly focused on an out-of-it Aang.

He had gotten Aang to safety, and then immediately hurt him. Sure, it was necessary, but… he had hurt him while he was running, too. He probably could have been smoother, somehow done _better_.

“Hey, Zuko, give me a hand, would you?” Sokka asked from the front. Zuko slid past Aang, whose face was slowly clearing as Katara pressed water against his head, as well as Toph, who was clinging to the saddle, in order to sit next to Sokka.

“Yeah?” Zuko asked, half-expecting him to chew him out for not doing a better job.

“Thanks out there, man.” Was all Sokka said, “You saved me back there, with that soldier.”

“Oh, I, um,” Zuko rubbed at his head, “I didn’t… um, mean to.” Then, “Not that I didn’t! I mean-”

Sokka just shrugged, bemused smile on his face. “It’s alright, I know what you mean.”

Zuko nodded, face bright red, and tried to look anywhere other than at Sokka, who was still looking at him with that odd little smile.

“And thanks for carrying Aang. It couldn’t have been easy.”

That was true. Zuko’s back ached - Aang was small, but he was also a dead weight, and he had been sprinting for about a mile directly after a fight. Decidedly not his best moment, if his body’s aches had anything to say about it.

“Oh, it’s fine.” Zuko waved his hand dismissively, “I’d been running after him so long, figured it was only fair I run for him this time.” Then instantly regretted saying it, bringing up the past like some kind of imbecile.

But Sokka just laughed, shaking his head. “Either way, it’s great that you did. I know you’re not one to run from a fight. Just… Aang and I both owe our lives to you.”

Zuko stared at his hands, fighting down the urge to deflect it. He didn’t deserve praise - especially not from Sokka, the one he wanted it from the most. He tamped down on that thought - it wouldn’t do to think about Sokka, about his stupid smile or his bravery or his…

“Hey, Zuko,” Sokka said, voice tinged with concern, “You don’t look so good.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No, I’m serious.” Sokka let go of Appa’s reins, turning to face Zuko. One hand went under his chin, forcing Zuko to tilt his head up - his face burning even further at the contact.

“Oh, that’s bad.” Sokka muttered, “You’ve got some serious burns on your neck. And… uh, chest.”

Zuko looked down, noticing for the first time that part of his shirt was scorched completely away. The skin underneath was blistering red. He had felt the pain, certainly, but he hadn’t bothered to check the damage. Not when the others were injured, too. “Oh, I, uh, I hadn’t noticed. Adrenaline, I guess.” He lied.

“Hey, Katara! Are you done healing Aang?” Sokka shouted, before turning back to him. “Don’t try to hide injuries, Zuko. Your safety matters to me. And, and all of the team! Since you are part of it, now, that is.”

Sokka whipped back around to Katara, “Yo, Katara, I asked-”

“I heard!” She snapped, “I’m almost done. Zuko will have to wait.”

“I feel fine.” Aang offered.

“Shut up!” Zuko, Katara, Sokka, and Toph said simultaneously.

Finally, when Aang was deemed healed, Katara moved to Zuko. “Hang on,” She said, placing her hands onto his burns.

He winced, the burns on his chest reigniting at her touch, even as the water began to heal them. When she started to pull away, Sokka interrupted, “What about that one?” Pointing to another, minor burns on Zuko’s arm.

“Oh, it’s fine.” Zuko said, but Sokka cut him off.

“Please? I- uh, we need you at full strength if we run into more Fire Nation soldiers.”

At Sokka’s imploring tone, Zuko acquiesced, holding out his arm. Katara healed it up, and, once it was gone, she turned to Sokka.

“Do you have any-?”

“Nope!” Sokka said brightly.

Zuko poked him in the stomach. Sokka flinched, barely stifling a moan of pain.

“Mhmm. I saw you take that fireblast to your side, you know.” Zuko said, unable to stop the twitch of a grin as Sokka shot him a glare. “And you’ve got some grazes on your arms.”

“Oh, fine.” Sokka grumbled, pulling open his tunic at the shoulder.

Zuko had seen Sokka shirtless before, it was just something that happened when they were travelling. Still, he forced himself to avert his eyes hastily, barely catching a glimpse of dark skin marred with angry red. He felt a twist of guilt at that, but kept his face carefully neutral.

Katara placed her hands against his side. She looked exhausted, and Zuko felt badly for her. Bending took a lot of effort, and she was clearly drained.

“You should’ve had me heal you first after Aang.” Katara said to her brother, flashing Zuko a glare.

Zuko privately agreed, but judging by Sokka’s scowl, he wouldn’t appreciate Zuko saying as much at the moment.

“Zuko’s burns were encircling his chest and covering his neck. That’s more dangerous than a non-banded burn on my side, not near my lungs.” Sokka said.

“What?” Katara asked sharply, curiosity mixing with her irritation.

“I learned about it in the Northern Water Tribe.” Sokka shrugged, “That healing class was super useful, you know. They taught priority injuries and stuff. It was pretty cool, actually.”

“Hm.” Katara made a noncommittal noise in her throat, “Still, you’re my brother. That makes you my priority.” _Over Zuko_ was left unsaid, but it was clearly telegraphed.

Sokka’s scowl deepened, and Zuko stared back down at his hands.

“Seriously, Katara? He saved Aang’s life, saved _my_ life! Can’t you stop treating him like he’s still the enemy?”

“Sokka, it’s fine.” Zuko said quietly, looking up at him.

“No, it’s not fine!” Sokka interrupted hotly, “You are a valued member of this team, Zuko, and you _will_ be treated like it!”

“You can’t make me trust someone, Sokka. Especially not _him_.” The last word was spat with venom, and Zuko saw how Sokka’s face darkened further.

“I don’t get it, Katara. You want him to prove his worth, he did! He helped rescue dad and Suki! And he _just_ did, _again_! He took a fireblast to protect Aang, isn’t that enough for you?”

“No, it’s not!” Katara’s voice rose.

“Well then what _would_ prove it?” Sokka’s voice matched hers.

“When he dies! How about that? That’ll fucking prove it!” Katara shouted.

Sokka looked like he’d just been slapped.

“Katara, that’s enough!” Aang intervened, looking dead on his feet, “We’re all stressed from the soldiers, but there’s no need to take it out on each other.”

“Fine.” Katara said, voice hard even as some of the anger left her face. She turned, moving back to sit beside Aang.

“Zuko…” Sokka said finally, reaching out to him, face still contorted with emotion.

Zuko couldn’t help but flinch at the motion, body telling him to brace for a hit.

Sokka yanked his hand back like he’d been burned, and, even with his inability to look Sokka in the eye, Zuko knew he would see concern there. Concern for _him_.

“It’s okay.” Zuko said finally, forcing his shoulders to come down from around his ears, shoving his emotions down under his skin. “I deserve it.”

Sokka let out a slow breath, about to protest, when Zuko met his eyes, casting him a scornful look.

“I did chase you around the world for months. If anything, I’m surprised you’ve been taking my presence so well.”

“Yeah, well,” It was Sokka’s turn to not meet his gaze, “You’ve proven yourself many times over, it just… I like having you on my side. Um, it makes sense to have you on our side, I mean.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. For… trusting me.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a trustworthy guy.” Sokka shrugged.

Zuko belatedly realized that Sokka still had his shirt front open, skin now thankfully burn-free. His face blushed red, and he kept his gaze fixed firmly on Sokka’s forehead, making it clear that he was not looking down.

Sokka, for his part, had no such qualms - his gaze flitting easily down to Zuko’s exposed chest. “At least your burns are healed up.” He said, “Though, I’m a bit surprised firebenders can get burned. I wouldn’t have expected it, except for, you know, your face.”

“Yeah, fire can burn us just as much as anyone else - if we aren’t careful. It’s harder to get it to stick, ‘cause we can bend fire as it approaches us, but if you don’t catch it, or the other bender is more powerful… then it’s possible.”

“Was the soldier more powerful than you?” Sokka asked.

“No, I just didn't have maneuverability because of Aang being on my back.” Zuko shook his head, “I’m among the best firebenders in the nation.”

“No, I meant… the soldier who burned your face.”

“What?”

“Training accident gone wrong, right? That’s what… well, I assumed.”

“No.” Zuko said shortly, resisting the urge to turn his face away to conceal the burn from view.

“Oh, okay.” Sokka raised his hands placatingly, “If it’s not my business, then I don’t need to know.”

Zuko nodded, grateful for the opportunity out of the conversation.

Except Aang had heard them, because… well, what else was there to do on Appa’s back?

“How did it happen?” He asked brightly.

Zuko flashed him a glare. “It’s not your concern.”

It wasn’t like he needed it to be a secret - he just didn’t want to talk about it up here. On the ground, if one of them realized how traitorous he was, how cowardly, how _disloyal_ he had been to his father, he had a place to run. A way out. Up here, though… there would be no escaping their judgement.

“I think it is.” Katara cut in, “You say you want me to trust you-”

“-Actually, Sokka said that-”

“-Now’s your chance.” Katara crossed her arms, “Or do you think you can just keep waltzing through our lives without suspicion?”

“Katara, you need to chill.” Toph began, but Katara raised a hand. “This doesn’t relate to you, Toph. You weren’t there when he attacked our village. When he chased us across the world.”

“Just because he did that doesn’t mean he has to bare his secrets!” Toph snapped, “Zuko has a right to his own privacy.”

“Not when it puts Aang’s life in danger! All of our lives in danger!”

“How, the fuck, does his old as hell scar have _anything_ to do with the present?” Toph argued hotly.

“It tells us what kind of person he is!”

“The past doesn’t dictate the present, Katara.” Sokka cut in, “I used to be a sexist jerk, and now look at me! Still a jerk, but not a sexist one!”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because it’s how you were raised! Men as the warriors, blah blah blah.”

“How I was raised? Then you could understand how Zuko, heir prince of the Fire Nation, might have once been a product of how he was raised?”

“Stop, all of you, just… stop.” Zuko cut in. “It’s fine, Sokka. Seriously, I don’t… if it makes Katara feel better, I’ll… it’s fine. I don’t want to be a point of conflict between you two.”

Katara gestured to him to speak, still looking far too angry - it seemed like she was rapidly coming to regret the fight, however, when Zuko brought one shaky hand up to hover over his scar before dropping it into his lap, keeping his eyes downcast.

“When I was thirteen, I… I was the heir prince. And… I wanted to learn as much as I could, so that I could rule well. It was exciting, you know, I wanted to succeed. Impress my father.” The words were bitter on his tongue, now. He hated that version of him, wished he could rip it out of his chest.

He licked his too-dry lips. “I, uh, I convinced my Uncle to let me into the war room. Where there was strategizing, and… well, you know what a war room is. And one of the generals, well, they were discussing invasion strategy. And they wanted, he wanted to… use a new battalion as cannon fodder. Distraction, so that another, more skilled team could get the drop on the enemy.”

Zuko closed his eyes. “I… spoke out. Said his plan was terrible, in not so many words. But, it was an insult to the general. So I was supposed to do an Agni Kai- it’s this firebending duel, the first person to get burned loses,”

He heard someone suck in a breath, and Sokka’s hand migrated to his own, as if to offer support.

Zuko was too nervous to really appreciate it.

“I accepted. It would be easy, the man was old and I was an excellent firebender.” He smiled emptily at his arrogance. “But, the thing is, well, because I said it in a war room, the honor being questioned wasn’t the generals. It, uh, was,” Zuko took another breath. This was where they would hate him, this was where Sokka would take his hand away and look at him with disgust and he didn’t want that. He didn’t want that, ever.

But he had no choice, right? He was a bad person, he deserved their condemnation.

“I had to duel the Firelord.”

“But, the Firelord’s… your father.” Aang said slowly, as if he couldn’t put the pieces together. Didn’t want to put the pieces together.

Zuko flinched at the words. “Yes.”

“So you fought your dad?” Toph asked, “Well, no wonder you lost, then.” Her words weren’t sharp, they sounded… pitying.

Zuko shook his head, feeling nauseous. “If I had just dueled him, it would’ve been fine. But… when I realized it was him, I just… I wouldn’t. I refused. I knelt and asked for his forgiveness,” He laughed on the word, the silence stretching on for far too long, “And he told me to fight. But I wouldn’t, so…”

“No,” Sokka breathed, his hand tightening on Zuko’s hand to an almost painful degree. Zuko relished it - he deserved the pain.

“He put his hand on my face, and…” Zuko turned his head away, “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have-”

“Stop.” Sokka said suddenly. “Stop, please, I don’t… just…”

“Sorry.” Zuko said quietly, not daring to look up and see the disgust on Sokka’s lovely face. Disgust aimed at him. “I understand if you’d prefer to find a different firebender to teach Aang. Just… drop me off wherever.”

“What? Why would we do that?” Aang asked. He seemed like he was still caught up on the ‘duel my father’ thing - Zuko thought maybe his head needed more time with the healing water.

“I was disloyal, cowardly. If I’d just fought him, I never would’ve been banished. Never would have been tasked with hunting the Avatar to restore my honor, and you would never have been chased by me. It’s all my fault, all of it.”

There. He’d explained it better, now. Now they would hate him.

“Oh, gods.” Sokka muttered, “This is insane.”

Zuko tensed as he shifted beside him, hand lifting off of his, bracing for the hit he knew was coming. Instead, arms wrapped around him, enveloping him in a crushing hug.

Sokka’s voice sounded thick when he spoke, “I can’t believe you had to go through that. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, I spoke out of turn-” Zuko didn’t understand. Why Sokka was hugging him, rather than hurting him like he should have been. Like he deserved.

“You did the right thing. You did the right thing, and he…” Sokka choked out, “I… I’m going to kill him.”

Zuko brought up one hand to awkwardly wrap around Sokka’s back, not quite believing it. Sokka didn’t hate him? Toph wasn’t punting him off the edge of Appa?

“Of course you were chasing me,” Aang frowned, “You were trying to get home. But… I wasn’t even out of the ice until a few months ago, how… how were you supposed to succeed?”

Zuko didn’t respond, and he felt Sokka pull him even tighter against him.

“Gods,” Toph broke the silence, “And I thought my parents were bad. You didn’t deserve that. No one does.”

Zuko forced himself to open his eyes. Aang looked so angry, Zuko was mildly concerned it would trigger the Avatar state. Toph was clearly pissed off, and Sokka’s face was still buried in his shoulder.

Katara… Katara looked devastated.

“Zuko, I…” She began, voice cracking, “I didn’t- I thought that-”

“It’s fine.” Zuko said automatically, “Don’t worry about it.” He hoped that she was going to be upset at him, at least one rational person in the group, but alas, no such luck.

“No, I’m sorry, Zuko. I thought you were… well, evil. But you were doing everything just to get home… and now, you’ve given that up, haven’t you? Going home, it’s not… it’s never going to happen, now, is it?”

“I regained my own honor.” Zuko said, forcing himself to pull away from Sokka’s embrace, “I decided my own path. But you are correct,” The words were tinged with an air of finality. “I am banished, forever. And I will never be able to go home again.”

There was more silence, lying thick over the team. Sokka was the one to finally break it.

“You can… when this is all over, I mean, you can come home with me, or, um, us. I know the South Pole probably isn’t your thing, but… you’d always be welcome there. I know dad would love you, and… and I know it’s not the same, but, well,” Sokka’s face was tinged red, “There’s a home for you, there. With me. And the tribe.”

“You don’t… hate me? For all of it? For everything?” Zuko asked brokenly, quietly - for Sokka’s ears alone.

“Of course not.” Sokka frowned, “I, uh, like you, actually.” Then, with a grin, “You’re a cool dude, when you’re… uh, you.”

“Oh.” Zuko’s face was practically radiating heat - which, actually, all of his body did that, but his face especially so at the moment - “Thanks.” he finished lamely, unsure of how to respond to Sokka, to _Sokka_ , offering him a place to go. He was simultaneously elated, and terrified that, at any moment, the other shoe would drop.

But it didn’t. They continued on in a tense silence, broken only by Toph's suggestion that they land for the night.

Zuko was lighting the fire for them when Katara pulled him aside.

He braced himself for her ire, casting a glance to make sure that Sokka wasn’t in the vicinity - he was setting up tents, it seemed, since Aang was still a bit woozy.

“Look, Zuko,” She began, “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to talk about it.”

“It’s fine-”

“No, Sokka was right. It’s not fine. I just… I take betrayals personally. And, well, chasing the Avatar wasn’t personal, for you. I shouldn’t have said that you could only prove yourself through dying, that was… that was wrong of me. You have proven yourself many times before, I just didn’t want to accept it.”

“I understand.” Zuko didn’t, not really. He had expected Katara to be the normal one, to understand why his betrayal was inexcusable. Instead, she seemed on the brink of tears. On his behalf.

Awkwardly, he patted her on the shoulder. “It’s fine, seriously. I… I’m surprised you forgave me, actually. That any of you did.”

“Hard not to.” Katara shrugged, choking out a breathy laugh, “When Sokka trusts someone, he’s always right. I should’ve trusted his judgement. Just… I thought he was biased, you know.”

“Biased?” Zuko frowned, “Doesn’t he hate me as much as you do? Uh, I mean,” He probably shouldn’t have said _hate_ , given how Katara winced at the word.

“Well, initially, sure. But after Boiling Rock, well… he’s been a bit… um,” She considered her words, “You should talk to him about that. But, the point is, I made a mistake. I should’ve trusted you sooner. And I hope you can forgive me for waiting so long to make the right call.”

“Of course.” Zuko blinked, still not entirely sure what planet he was on. Did everyone drink some cactus juice when he wasn’t looking? And what was it about Sokka? He felt his heart pound a bit in his chest at the remembrance of the feeling of Sokka holding his hand - granted, it had been because he was spilling his guts, but still.

Katara walked away, heading back to Aang’s side. Zuko took a breath, before turning in that direction too- and nearly crashing into Sokka, who was clearly attempting to sneak away.

“Sokka, what are you- were you eavesdropping?” Zuko asked, unimpressed.

“What? Psh, no.” Sokka leaned against the pillar he’d been crouched behind, “Just… thought I’d check up on you.”

“Katara said you were biased.” Zuko said without preamble, knowing damn well that Sokka had been listening to the whole conversation. “What did she mean?”

“Oh, um,” Sokka glanced behind him - the other three were around the campfire, chatting away - before turning to face Zuko. “Just, I saw how great you were during the prison break, and it made me like you.”

“How is that biased?” Zuko frowned.

“Well,” Sokka was turning progressively redder, although for why Zuko had no idea. “Well, because I liked you.”

“I don’t-?” Zuko was confused. “Was this like, an in general because Katara didn’t like me, or…?”

“Oh, gods.” Sokka smacked his forehead, “Well, since you did the real talk, I guess I should too.” Sokka took a breath, as if working up nerves - although to what, Zuko still had absolutely no idea. “I liked you, Zuko. Like, _liked_ you liked you.”

“Oh.” Zuko’s brain short-circuited.

“Yeah. Just, when I opened the cooler and you were looking at me, I just sort of… um,” Sokka laughed awkwardly, “You’re very attractive, you know.” Then, “If you don’t feel the same way, I totally get it. It’s just, you asked why I was biased, and, um… yeah. I can go, if you want. Give you space.”

Zuko shook his head, catching Sokka’s hand as he began to turn away. The idea of him leaving was suddenly deeply painful to him.

“No, I… I don’t want you to leave.” Zuko stuttered out, “I like you also. As well. Too.”

“Oh.” Sokka’s face split into a stupid grin. “That’s cool, super great. Um.”

“Um.” Zuko replied, nodding like it was something intelligible. “Yeah.”

“Gods, at least now Katara’s cool with it.” Sokka said with a shrug, “Although, if I’d known you reciprocated, I’d’ve been all over you ages ago.”

Zuko blinked slowly. “Well, um, I guess… it’s never too late to start?”

Sokka grinned, if possible, even wider. “I like the way you think!”

“That’s good.” Zuko said as they moved closer to each other, “Otherwise, there’d be nothing to do but make out.”

“Hm, maybe I don’t like the way you think, then after all.” Sokka said breathily, tilting his head up. “And I should spend all my time right here.”

“Mm.” Zuko replied, their lips nearly touching. “I would enjoy that.”

Their lips pressed together.

The kiss was one of desperation - both terrified that this would all be over in an instant, that this was all a dream. Sokka pushed Zuko against the nearby pillar, one hand bracing against it, the other on his face. Zuko had never felt such emotion on his behalf before, and it was overwhelming.

Zuko started crying.

In an instant, Sokka pulled back, physically moving a few paces away to give him room. “Are you alright? We don’t- you don’t have to do this, if you-”

“I’m fine, it’s fine.” Zuko said, “Please, don’t stop, I…”

“You’re clearly upset, Zuko. I’m not going to kiss someone who’s crying about it.”

“That’s not it.” Zuko wiped at his face, irritated at himself. “I just… I’ve never felt this… cared about, before. It got me emotional, but I don’t want it to stop.”

“Oh, Zuko,” Sokka looked heartbroken, “You deserve to be cared for.” Then he was moving in again, pressing his lips to Zuko’s - chaste, this time. “I’m going to show you what it means to be cared for, alright?”

The kindness in his voice nearly made Zuko cry again, but this time, he just focused on the feeling of Sokka’s mouth against his, all the care behind it, and nothing else.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a sucker for Zuko/Sokka and Zuko/Mai, so... love that for me. I know Katara was made to be the antagonist in this, I just needed some way of making this fic happen other than bringing in like... Jet or some tertiary enemy that would throw off the timeline.
> 
> i love comments! and i take requests for fics on my tumblr (same name)


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